How Men Are Totally Ruining Kissing for All the Ladies (Well, Maybe Not)

OK, this is probably not the most unbiased opinion, but Gillette (of razor fame) is wondering if an increase in facial stubble is slowly but surely becoming the death of the kiss. They claim both shaving and kissing are on the decline, and according to a survey of 1,080 women, 1/3 of us have purposely avoided a kiss because of a dude’s facial hair. Plus, 55% of women say kissing a be-scruffed guy has irritated or scraped their face, which led them to avoid kissing and/or intimacy, use band-aids or extra makeup to cover their war makeout wounds, and even stay home from work or end a relationship.

Now of course, it’s probably in Gillette’s best business if men feel the need to constantly keep their faces smooth shaven, so let’s take those results with a grain of salt. But they are going to run an experiment with real-life couples to determine whether women prefer kissing their men shaven or unshaven. (I have no inside information on how Jennifer Garner feels about smooching her hubby Ben up there in his various stages of shaving.*)

We’ve talked about beards before, and you guys have always been kind of divided on the subject. But even if you like the look, let’s talk about how it feels. Personally, I don’t like the look of overly sculpted facial hair—no goatees for me, please—but I adore a man with a scruffy 5 o’clock shadow, and it’s never bothered me to kiss one. Maybe I just have an insensitive chin?

*Apologies to Ben Affleck for making him seem like the poster guy for bad kissing by using his picture in this post. My decision was based purely on his sexy scruff. I'm sure he's a delightful kisser either way and personally, I prefer him bearded.

To kiss or not to kiss: How do you feel about making out with guys with a little scruff? Is a full on beard better or worse? Have you ever turned down a guy because of his facial hair, or made your boyfriend shave for your comfort?